An amateur soccer player, Matt Eliason, stole the show in a charity match between Lionel Messi XI and World XI on Saturday with a perfectly executed bicycle kick.
Eliason was among nine former Northwestern University players invited to play the game after many of the high profile players backed out of the match at the last minute.
Northwestern coach Tim Lenahan had a contact in Messi team player Santiago Solari, and the former Northwestern players were enlisted, including Eliason, who scored a wonder goal after half an hour.
Eliason, who is currently a financial analyst for GE Capital, took a Thierry Henry chipped pass on the chest before drilling a spectacular bicycle kick into the net in a 9-6 win for Messi's side.
"Once the ball was in the air, I thought I might as well go for it in front of all these fans," Eliason said after the game.
"It's not every day that you get to play Messi. So I thought I'd give it a try, and fortunately it worked out."
Not bad for a guy who, despite being Northwestern's all-time leading scorer, has only seen the field for some local Chicago recreational teams since graduating in 2011.
The Illinois-native attended the Major League Soccer combine before the 2011 SuperDraft but was not picked.
Despite a promising full-time job in finance, Eliason still has MLS dreams.
He added: "I try to stay in shape, try and keep playing. I mean anything's possible. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity today."
Also see:
 | |
| Matt Eliason scores a brilliant bicycle kick goal for World XI against Lionel Messi XI Photo: YouTube |
Eliason was among nine former Northwestern University players invited to play the game after many of the high profile players backed out of the match at the last minute.
Northwestern coach Tim Lenahan had a contact in Messi team player Santiago Solari, and the former Northwestern players were enlisted, including Eliason, who scored a wonder goal after half an hour.
Eliason, who is currently a financial analyst for GE Capital, took a Thierry Henry chipped pass on the chest before drilling a spectacular bicycle kick into the net in a 9-6 win for Messi's side.
"Once the ball was in the air, I thought I might as well go for it in front of all these fans," Eliason said after the game.
"It's not every day that you get to play Messi. So I thought I'd give it a try, and fortunately it worked out."
Not bad for a guy who, despite being Northwestern's all-time leading scorer, has only seen the field for some local Chicago recreational teams since graduating in 2011.
The Illinois-native attended the Major League Soccer combine before the 2011 SuperDraft but was not picked.
Despite a promising full-time job in finance, Eliason still has MLS dreams.
He added: "I try to stay in shape, try and keep playing. I mean anything's possible. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity today."
Also see:
